Ratnagiri to Delhi during the COVID-19 crisis #travelwithtoddler

This travelogue is more of an account of my experience in shifting base from Ratnagiri to N.Delhi by undertaking a road trip with my family. It was not a pleasure trip rather a mandatory one that had to be undertaken in a time bound manner. I had moved to Ratnagiri a year ago as i mentioned in my previous blog as a job requirement. So in this write up i'll share my experience on how we accomplished the task with a toddler and a senior citizen in these trying times.

We had to pack up all of our belongings so we employed the services of a mover and packer company. Since we did not want people from outside to enter the house while we still occupied it, we asked them to drop off the packing material and return after a week for final transportation. We did all the packing ourselves leaving only a few big items like refrigerator, washing machine, arm chair, etc for the packers. eventually 2 days prior to the final move we shifted to an alternate accommodation since we needed stability for my toddler and aged father. The accommodation was close to our home and we would easily come to run any additional errands that were required. This moving out of the house is essential to give you a clearer picture of what is not essential and can be left and also to pack up the kitchen completely. On the last day when the packers came only my husband was there to manage taking all the precautions of wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. After the loading of the truck was done, we started our journey from Ratnagiri in the morning. Me and my husband took turns for driving after 5-6 hours. Our first halt was at Ginger hotel Vapi and second one at Udaipur before our arrival at Delhi covering a distance of 1735 Km. The most pleasing part of the whole journey was the way my daughter all of 2 yrs and 3 months took to the journey. She was not cranky for even one second.... I love how strong, patient and flexible she is. Infact, she inspired us and taught us a lesson or two . Here I will list out a few pointers to keep in mind while planning such a journey. Planning a road trip was the safest option instead of flight and train.

Important pointers when moving house interstate with a Toddler:

1.Start by packing all the non essential items like the living room, all decorative items, TV , clothes that you havent worn in the past 10 days.

2. kitchen items can be packed towards the end.

3. cutting your cable connection, gas connection, internet connection 2 days before the actual moving out.

4. for the travel I carried a big set of books that kept my daughter engaged..for a 3 day road trip i had around 30 books that she was reading for the first time, aqua magic painting pad, doodle board.

5. lots of dry snacks for the baby and grown ups- makhanas, home made chips, papad, home made jaggery cookies, we carried packed breakfast and lunch for our journey. But we ate dinner at our stop overs. Everyday when you start your journey from your lay over point you stock up for the following days meals.

6. MOST IMPORTANTLY check the condition of your car, Fuel, Lub oils, Engine, AC everything..get it serviced before a long journey.

7. Night halts are a must to keep every one mentally happy, it gives the old and young a good rest. A good nights rest on a cozy bed keeps everyone happy and prepares you well for the next day.

8. If your baby is old enough to have a predictable pee and poo routine then do give the child diaper free time..Its very important else a diaper rash can ruin everything for everyone in such a small space as a car.

Hopefully i have covered most of the things that we kept in mind for the trip. The thing to remember is that my kid took the journey really well and all my fears of long travels with her are now dismissed. Children can really surprise us and they are much more resilient than we think they are.

Bon Voyage everyone!